The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1887-04-07

like pearl beneath her broad market
hat.
ssNow mother DEAR" she said, as she
wheeled the chair beneath the odOrouS
shade of a honey-suckle bower, You
will be quite coy, and the birds and
butterflies will keep you company till 1
get back"
The invalid smiled, and unfolded
roll of delicate needle work.
II wish you would put your work by.
continued the girl, and take good rest
this nice morning, there's not a bit of
need that you should work so hard.
See my flowers how they thrive: and
only look at my berries! There are no
| finer in the market. Little mother,
we shall find ourselves growing rich
one of these days"
''Then it will be the work Of those
| busy little hands" replied the invalid,
kissing the little brown hands that fiut-
tered so caressingly about her.
Hortense laughed like child.
1T is so much nicer than teaching
| music or working at the needle" she
| said. feel quite proud Of my vocation.
But there comes farmer Denham; /
must go and get my basket ready, for it
puts him in a bad humor to have to
wait. Good bye, mother! Please don't
| work much, and don't get lonesome! l
shall be gone the least little bit longer
than usual, because / shall stop and
get you = nice, cool wrapper with the
| money my unknown friend sent me
yesterday. / do wonder who it could
have been?'
s.Some friend of Miss Lorrimer's"
| suggested the mother.
HE was a General something, the
| footman said, did not catch the name.
Well, trust he'll have his reward; and
| as have his gifts l won't call for Miss
| Lorrimer's money to-day. She's so
slowl Good bye again, mother I'm off
| nowl"
| And away she hurried to get her dain-
| ty baskets ready for the farmers wagon.
| Gen. Duncan was ont of spirits; and
to tell the truth out of humor, too, de-
| spite the royal June morning. The OPP
| era had left him with a headache. He
rose with the dawn and mounting his
favorite horse, galloped for miles and
miles across the country, but he return
/ ed in worse humor. After breakfast
| he started down for a stroll, putting
| savagely at his cigar, and wearing his
| hat down low over his handsome brow.
The General was quarreling with
| his destiny. and feeling as II he had
been q badly used man, and in some
respects this was true. Half a dozen
| years back. he was nothing but clerk
/ in the store of merchant with untold
l
daughter, fair as pearl; and with this
daughter Harry Duncan fell in love.
| She loved him in return, and their
troth was plighted; but the angry faith
er came between them. His only child.
| The heiress to millions, should not
marry nameless clerk, he said. The
daughter was too gentle and dutiful to
disobey, yet too true and womanly to
prove faithlesS.
In the starry watches Of the summer
night, in the fragrant bowers of her
fathers garden she met her lover for
| the last time.
81 cannot disobey my father" she
said, but ! shall be true to you, dear
Harry, as if were your wife, and wear
your ring as sacredly as if it were ouI
wedding ring.
she stopped over a vace of flowers, and
| selecting bit of heliotrope, gave it to
him as parting token.
when the war broke out Harry was
one of the first to enlist. He had a lik-
ing for all military Affairs, and as a
consequence, soon rose to distinction
in his profession. But he never forgot
his early love-dream, and at the end OF
the struggle he found himself general
and returning home learned the death
of a distant relative he had inherited a
handsome fortune. Without an hours
delay set forth for the city where he
had once been IA clerk, INDUCING the
hope that he would find his early love.
But his efforts proved fruitless; The
| family had disappeared. The father
| failed early in the war as many others
had done, and had died. But of his wild
ow and child no tidings could be had.
| Gen. Duncan returned home and
went into society, and was lioniZed at
once. The brightest beauties put forth
| all their Establishments to win one of
whom was Miss LorTimeT.
She was lovely accomplished wealth
| ", why not take her at her word. She
would make queenly wife.
Gen. Duncan unused after this fash
| ion, strolling down town that June
morning, and half turned on his heel,
| determined to retrace his steps, and
make Miss Lorrimer her morning call.
mo, by jove! can't do it. That lit
| tie nosegay has made fool of me, he
muttered, glancing down at the with
erd flower on his breast.
Suddenly sweet girlish voice attract
ed his attention.
'EHeIiotrope and hearts-ease" it said.
| The plaintive cry foated out on the
summer air. and fell unheeded on many
ears but not on his. He had quite en-
ough Of heliotr0pe; hearts-ease was an
other thing. He turned with vague
curiosity, to look at the owner of that
voice.
There she stood with her dainty bas-
kets of blossoms and berries arrayed
before her, and goldfinch trilling In a
| gilded cage above her. Such fair face
too, A face he had seen before. Yes!
But where? The General stood breath
| less and beWildered. would you like
some flowers sir2 These are very pref
tyr said the girl. She held up cluser of
violets, and the June sunlight struck
| the jewel on her finger. and flashed out
a shower of dazzling sparks. Gen. Dun
can uttered hoarse cry, and caught
the hand in both of his.
IHortensel'' ne cried at last, ''haye /
found you, my darling?o The sweet
blue ewes opened wide, at first in sur
prise and terror. Then hearing his
words and feeling the thrilling clasp of
his hand. the girl gave one searching
look. Through all the bronze and
change Of his campaigns she knew him.
A beautiful flush rose to the waxen
cheeks.
ssAt last she murmured, while the
tears Of joy came in her eyes. "Ahi
knew you would come never doubted
you dear Harry!
s.And You have worn my ring, all
these years." He questioned
Il have worn it as promised, she /
answered.
That night in the little cottage Gar
den the general heard her story-a sim
ple story. Her father when he died.
had left her invalid mother and herself
without support. Prompted by her
love for flowers she made her little gar
den. and reared her blossoms and ber-
ries and sold them in the market.
ssAnd they brought you back to me
in the end. cried the eDraptnred Gen